Simba SC's board member Mwina Kaduguda has vowed that he would be willing to sacrifice himself if that is what it takes them to win the Caf Confederation Cup.
The Tanzanian giants will face Orlando Pirates of South Africa in the quarter-finals, and Kaduguda has emphasized the need to focus on winning the cup.
"If there is a need for one to die in order for Simba to qualify for the final, then I am ready to. I will open another Simba branch in the afterlife," Kaduguda told the club’s website.
"We have been in the final, and that means we have to break the record by lifting the cup."
Wekundu wa Msimbazi were the 1993 Confederation Cup finalists when they lost to Stella Abidjan of the Ivory Coast.
On his part, former chair Hassan Dalali has discussed how they can get a win against the Premier Soccer League side.
"The players need to know the value of our team, and we, the fans, just need to be entertained and made happy. We can only beat the Pirates if every player is willing to play their role against them," said Dalali.
The club’s head coach, Pablo Franco, explained the need to have total focus on the first-leg, scheduled for April 17 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
"We have a tough game against Pirates, but what is important is to train each player to keep reminding themselves of the match with the aim of fighting hard and getting a big win which will place us in a better position going into the second leg," the coach said, as per Mwanaspoti.
"If we happen to get a big win at home, it means we will be making our work a lot easier, and therefore, it means our minds and strength should be focused on the home game."
Simba made eight changes to their last game against Polisi Tanzania, as they rested key players for the Pirates battle. Shomary Kapombe, Chris Mugalu, and Larry Bwalya are the only regular first-teamers who started in the league match that ended in a goalless draw.
"We are playing very tough matches every few days, and there were players who were tired and others who were injured, so we had to make the eight changes," assistant coach Selemani Matola revealed.
The second leg will be played on April 24.